If you have a question about the status or procedure for obtaining permits for a project, please call 231-744-1621 and ask for the Building Inspector. He is available on Wednesday morning between the hours of 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. & 12:00 (noon) – 2:00 p.m.
The following is a brief description of the function of the Zoning Board of Appeals and an application for a variance if one will be required for your project.
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
The Zoning Board of Appeals essentially has two functions:
1. Appeals from determinations made by the zoning administrator; and
2. Variances
While appeals from the Zoning Administrator do not occur very often, state law and zoning ordinances provide an appeal process from an administrative decision of the Zoning Administrator.
A variance, on the other hand, is a mechanism by which the Board of Appeals allows a landowner to do something that the ordinance prohibits. Whether the variance is a use variance (permitting the land to be used for a purpose which the ordinance prohibits) or a dimensional or non-use variance (allowing a landowner to build on the land in a way which doesn’t meet minimum ordinance standards), the focus is upon a single piece of property.
See Section 22.05 of the City’s Ordinance for the complete procedure.
Variance Application (pdf)
